m I simply growing older and more cynical or do you agree with me that there has not, in our lifetime, been a more vitriolic series of campaigns, as in the just concluded election?
Most of the copy and comment in newspapers and on TV, reflecting the outcome of the election, has highlighted the House and the Senate - both changing complexion from red to blue; both turning to a Democrat majority. Less has been written and said about the fact that for the very first time since 1994, the majority of the nation's gubernatorial mansions will have occupants who are Democrats ; they picked up half a dozen seats from Republicans and will, very likely, have a major influence on the presidential race of 2008. One positive note for the Republicans was the return of the Terminator to Sacramento. He became, in all probability, the most surprising comeback kid. Just one year ago Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was exceedingly unpopular. He got the message from the Democrats, began working with them and stormed back to popularity. Besides, his Democrat opponent ran a non-exciting campaign. Overall there is no doubt that it is the Democrats who are smiling in the Governor's mansions and also in state legislatures. Democrats gained seats in nearly every legislative chamber.
And what of the new Speaker of the House, third in line for the presidency, San Francisco liberal, Nancy Pelosi? Well, the former Speaker Newt Gingrich minced no words in airing his opinion. Just two months ago he said that a Pelosi led house would be a "disaster" for the country. Early in the game to make this statement, but this is a most savvy politician - a woman who has been ale to maintain unity among Democrats, count votes effectively and cause problems for House Republicans. She is well aware that as speaker she'll be presiding over a most diverse majority and she has the experience and smarts to do so most effectively.
Republicans on the Hill did not just lose the majority, they lost their way. The scandals of the 109th Congress surely harmed their cause and probably the greatest scandal in Washington D.C. was the runaway federal spending. Under a banner headline in today's Christian Science Monitor, which read "Power Shift in Washington" they write The tectonic plates of Washington power have shifted, presenting both President Bush and the new Democratic majority in Congress with an opportunity to work
together and leave behind the politics of confrontation". It could result in a most effective and rewarding time for all..well, it could!
And it seems most likely that there will be a shift coming in this country's policy on Iraq. There is likely to be a fresh diplomatic push to involve all of Iraq's neighbors - including Syria and Iran - to help stabilize Iraq and pull it back from the brink of all-out civil war. There needs to be more insistence that the government of Iraq make the decisions needed to quell sectarian violence. It could happen, now.

President Bush is deeply unpopular in many countries around the globe, with extremely intense opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq. The outcome of the election clearly produced more jubilation than concern or fear. Perhaps the most sober and unexpected response came from one of his most outspoken critics, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who said "Of course the citizens of the United States are humans with a conscience. It's a reprisal vote against the war in Iraq and against the corruption within the Bush administration. All this fills us with optimism." A somewhat sober comment from an outspoken critic.